15 persons braved blizzard and biting wind to have their sins washed away.

On January 19 the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the baptism of Christ – one of the most important religious holidays in Russia. The tradition to make a hole in the ice and dive into lakes and rivers has gained great success in Russian in the years since the break-up if the Soviet Union.

- A dream come true-To be able to bath in blessed water on Epiphany here in Kirkenes is a dream come true, says Inna Tkachuk, who comes from Russia but lives in Kirkenes. I used to do this every year when I lived in Russia, but not that often after I moved to Norway.

To take a bath in ice cold water is very good for you, Inna explains. – Of course it gives the body instant stress, but afterwards it feels very good. Ice bathing stimulates the organism and improves the immune system. The spiritual side of bathing on this particular day is also important for Inna. – You feel extra warm afterwards; it gives a special feeling to bath in water that has been blessed by the priest.

Old rituals bless the water- Normally we will perform the whole ritual of consecration of the water beside the hole in the ice, Father Daniil of the Monastery of Pechenga explains. - But today the weather conditions are so bad that we have decided to perform the first parts of the ritual indoors. The ritual consists of prayers, singing and readings from the Bible. Afterwards the priests lead a procession out on the frozen lake, where the water is consecrated with prayers and by putting a cross into the water.

The holy water is considered to have protective and healing powers. People filled up bottles and cans with the holy water to bring back home. – This water has special qualities, one of the participants says after filling her bottle. – I drink it on an empty stomach in the morning, wash my face with it and use it to cleanse my house from evil spirits.

Father Sergij from Polyarny preparing for the ritual.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Father Daniil from the Monastery of Pechenga led the ceremony.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

The ceremony of the Blessing of the Water.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Normally the whole ceremony is conducted outdoors by the water, but because of bad weather conditions most of the rituals were done indoors this time.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Songs, prayers and reading of the Bible are important parts of the ritual.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Father Daniil reading from the Bible.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

The water is blessed through prayers and putting a cross into the water.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

The priest sprinkles holy water upon everybody taking part in the ceremony.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

The holy water is considered to have protective and healing powers. Believers traditionally stock up on the blessed water for a whole year, since it is known to remain fresh all that time.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

The tradition symbolizes Jesus Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River. The whole in the ice is therefore called a "Jordan".

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

Celebrators plunge into the water - typically three times, in honor of the Holy Trinity.

Trude Pettersen / BarentsObserver

The ritual of submergence, believed to be at least five centuries old, is meant to symbolize a cleansing of sins from the previous year and a rebirth in preparation for the upcoming one.

Barentsobserver newsletter

BarentsObserver follows the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press (click for Russian version). BarentsObserver is not pre-editing comments posted to articles and is not responsible for such content, nor opinions expressed on external web pages. Inappropriate content will, however, be removed.

Russia is prepared to protect its interests in the Arctic with military means if necessary, says Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu, pointing to the increasing interest in the region’s resources by countries with no direct access to the Arctic.

“Ship-to-ship reloading of oil in icy-waters outside Kirkenes is a great example that Norway jeopardizes nature by lowering safety standards in our race for industrialization of the north,” says Lars Haltbrekken, head of the Norwegian Society for the conservation of Nature.

This February the hotels of Rovaniemi, Lapland have been full to the brim with customers. Usually this many people stay in hotels in the northern city only during the Christmas season, but this year the tourist boom will continue into March at least.

Development of tourism is one of Russia’s prioritized areas to secure its presence on the archipelago of Svalbard. The state company Trust Arktikugol is now registered as a tour operator and could welcome its first guests to the Arctic wilderness.

The UK needs to up its game in the Arctic or risk being «outmaneuvered” by other states, and should start by appointing an ambassador to the region, according to a report by the House of Lords Arctic Committee.

“Whatever the pressure, Rakurs will continue to support LGBT community, to provide legal and psychological help. And we are going to challenge this wrongful decision in the court,” says Tatiana Vinnichenko, head of the organization.